About Diane & Abundant Gifts

I have been a published freelance writer for some 40 years, and my passion on this site is to share stories of God’s goodness and grace in the lives of real people.

I have written 11 published books, hundreds of articles (several of which have won awards), and several newsletters, but the “book of my heart” is Abundant Gifts.

Why? Because living “the Abundant Gifts way” as I call it, and writing these motivational stories has profoundly changed my own life.

Here are some of the questions I am frequently asked, and my responses.

Q: How did the idea for Abundant Gifts originate?

It came about through a deceptively simple, roundabout way. While reading a book called The Five Love Languages by Gary Chapman, I wondered, If gift-giving is a way people express love for each other, could it also be a way God expresses his love to us?

The Bible’s answer is yes. The most famous verse in the Bible is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” I began to actively look for the things that felt like gifts for me, even taking five to ten minutes a day to record them.

That’s how I stumbled upon what I now call “the Abundant Gifts way.” Later I discovered it’s very similar to a spiritual discipline identified by Dallas Willard in his book, The Spirit of the Disciplines, called Celebration. I didn’t expect this simple practice to revolutionize my spiritual life. But it did.

Living the Abundant Gifts way has confirmed to me that God is indeed at work in my life, often in the seemingly small things of life. Yet it’s the small things that can turn out to be so important.

This practice has shown me that he is a generous God–bestowing many gifts daily, if only we take the time to look. He is a gracious God–giving what we don’t deserve. He is a caring God–intimately involved in every detail of our daily lives.

It’s really a simple, two-part practice. Something you do at the beginning and end of each day, ideally.

It starts with giving God the day, without reservation, first thing in the morning.

Then, you begin to look for the gifts throughout the day.

In the evening, you take five or seven minutes to jot down the gifts of the day in a little notebook or journal–whatever you want. (When you buy the book, you can have access to the Abundant Gifts E-book Journal, which you can use to keep a record of your gifts.)

Q: What kinds of gifts do you look for?

In the pages of Abundant Gifts you will find examples of the following kinds of gifts:

Common or universal gifts

Ordinary gifts that sometimes go unnoticed

Gifts from God through others

Gifts to others

Inner gifts

Personalized gifts

Miraculous or extraordinary gifts

Gifts of mercy

Disguised gifts

Spiritual gifts

The process of keeping a “gifts journal” has led me to believe that God is not only a loving and incredibly generous God, but he speaks to us in and through the daily, often mundane aspects of our lives.

Q: Did the book involve any special research?

I asked many, many people for their input, and the book includes many stories from other people, some from other books, but mostly original stories from people I know, some famous, some not.

Q: You call yourself a “spiritual optometrist.” What do you mean by that?

I believe that it’s not so much what happens to us that determines whether we’re happy or sad, joyful or depressed, encouraged or discouraged. Rather, it’s our perspective on our situation.

If we can adopt the perspective that God is in control, that he loves us deeply and is both willing and able to bring good out of every singe thing that happens to us–which is what I believe the Bible itself teaches–then we can begin to trust him deeply and live joyful lives.

With these stories, I picture myself fitting readers with the “spiritual glasses” that will enable them to see God’s good hand at work in their lives … to view life from the perspective that a loving and powerful God is gently crafting every detail of our seemingly ordinary into a masterpiece. A work of beauty that will be displayed someday in eternity for all to ooh and ahh over.

Q: What do you hope readers will get from your book?

My passion and heart’s desire is that readers will see God’s loving hand in the details of their lives. I can’t tell you the peace and joy that comes from this way of life. You have to experience it for yourself … and that is my hope and prayer for all my readers.???????

Regis Philbin says about the Open Your Heart series: “It’s a great idea!”

Actor and singer Mary Votava called the series “why-to” in a sea of “how-to” books.

Hazel Dixon Cooper, Cosmopolitan’s Bedside Astrologer, says the series is “a winning combination that both instructs and inspires.”

The Open Your Heart concept interweaves advice about how to improve your life with practical advice about a sport or hobby. The result is books that readers love, no matter what their level of interest in self-improvement or their level of skill in the activity itself. Readers learn that self-help is easy once they realize their favorite sport or hobby can guide them to a better life.

Looking for the perfect gift? By combining favorite activities with inspirational stories, Open Your Heart books offer something for almost everyone on your holiday shopping list!

Titles available for the 2007 gift season include:

Open Your Heart with Art: Mastering Life through Love of Everyday Creativity
Open Your Heart with Basketball: Mastering Life through Love of the Game
Open Your Heart with Bicycling: Mastering Life through Love of the Road
Open Your Heart with Geocaching: Mastering Life through Love of Exploration
Open Your Heart with Pets: Mastering Life through Love of Animals
Open Your Heart with Reading: Mastering Life through Love of Stories
Open Your Heart with Singing: Mastering Life through Love of Song
Open Your Heart with Skiing: Mastering Life through Love of the Turns
Open Your Heart with Tennis: Mastering Life through Love of the Court
Open Your Heart with Winter Fitness: Mastering Life through Love of the Slopes
Open Your Heart with Writing: Mastering Life through Love of Words

Review copies are available upon request.

DreamTime Publishing books are available through Amazon.com, Powells.com, DreamTimePublishing.com, or your local bookstore.